JJC H1 History Paper 1

JURONG JUNIOR COLLEGE Preliminary Exams 2008 HISTORY 8814 H1 21st August 2008 3 hours READ THESE INSTRUCTION FIRST Write in dark blue or black pen. Begin each answer on a FRESH sheet of paper INFORMATION FOR CANDIDATES All questions in this paper carry equal marks. You are reminded of the need for good English and clear presentation in your answers. This question paper consists of 4 printed pages (including this page) 1

SECTION A: SOURCE BASED QUESTION Read the sources and then answer Question 1 THE UNITED NATIONS AND COLLECTIVE SECURITY 1. Read the sources and answer the question. Source A The response of the United Nations to the sudden invasion by Iraqi forces in Kuwait in early August 1990 raised the expectation t hat at last the UN collective security system was working. Then the United Nations progressively endorsed the most forceful and far reaching enfor cement actions in its histor y. These included initially a wide range of economic and diplomatic sanctions, intended to damage Iraq’s war making capacity and to isolate its government from possible allies. Later the Security Council authorized governments to use ‘a ll possible means’, including military measures to end the aggression against Kuwait. Historians Peter R. Baehr and Leon Gordenker, ‘The United Nations at the End of the 1990s’, 1991 Source B The lessons of 1956 were clear. First, the UN could take action against ‘aggression’ only if the two powers were agreed, or if one of them was indifferent; second, there were only two powers who counted. So, for many years, it re mained. Whatever resolutions might be passed in the General Assembly, the UN was no more likely to take action against the Soviet Union over Afghanistan than it was against the United States over Nicaragua. Whatev er measures of collective security might be created, the superpowers could effectively defy them. Michael Howard, The Historical Development of the UN’s Role in International Security’, 1993 Source C We know that collective security is a potent means to impose tough economic sanctions on defiant regimes, be they found in Baghdad or Belgrade. The success of sanctions is often debated, but there is no doubt that they are becoming a means by which the international community can ac t in unison and thwart the designs of aggressor regimes. Collective security has increasingly become an essential ally in many humanitarian relief operations. Our intervention in Somalia under UN authority shows how a Chapter VII operation can be essential in saving millions from starvation. Adapted from a transcript of a speech, ‘Building a Collective Security System’ by Madeline Albright, US Permanent Representative to the United Nations, 1993 2

Source D Under Collective Security, states attempt to prevent aggression by agreeing to unite in collective action against an aggressor wit h the overwhelming united threat of counterforce, mobilized through an international organization like the United Nations. States do not act on the basis of their own individual nati onal interests, but on the perceived collective interests of the inter national community to counter aggression whenever and wherever it may appear. From the outset, the UN was a limited collective security organization since the ve to ensured no collective measures could ever be instituted against t he “Big Five”. With the deepening Cold War after World War 2, concurrence among the members of the Security Council was almost impossible to achieve. Indeed, only two sit uations-Korea in 1950 and Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait resemble collective security actions. Authors Karen A.Mingst & Margaret P Karns, ‘The United Nations in the Post-Cold War Era’, 2000 Source E Since the Council was formed t he threats and challenges to international peace and security have changed, as has the distribution of power among members. But the Security Council has been slow to change. Collective security decisions cannot be implemented just by members of the Security Council but require extensive military, financial and political involvement by other States . Decisions taken and mandates given have often lacked the essential components of realism, adequate resources and the political determination to see t hem through. The Secretary-General is frequently holding out a begging bowl to implement Security Council decisions. Official UN report by the High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, commissioned by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, 2004 Now answer the following question. 1. “ The United Nations system of collect ive security has failed in resolving conflicts.” Using sources A-E, show how far the evidences support this statement. 3

4 SECTION B: ESSAY QUESTION You must answer 3 questions from this section. 2. Assess the causes and impact of the Berlin Blockade in the development of the Cold War in Europe. 3.“The Revisionist School of thought on the origins of the Cold War was essentially flawed.” Discuss. 4. Assess the following, “The decision to establish the Special Economic Zone (SEZ), more than any other reforms, was responsible for China’s post- 1978 economic growth.” 5. “The oil crisis brought the golden age of capitalism to an abrupt halt.” To what extent do you agree with this statement? 6. “The aftermath of the 1948 partition of Palestine marked the outbreak of the Arab-Israeli conflict.” Discuss The End